- Every June, Barcelona plays host to a huge cross-section of industry types for Sónar Festival and the extensive network of parties that run alongside it. While these parties are not officially linked to the festival, they nevertheless contribute to making the city a musically vibrant and diverse place during Sónar's five-day period. One of the more enticing events on this year's calendar was Get Perlonized at Poble Espanyol. I was curious: after 18 years, is the Berlin-based label still relevant?
I chose Get Perlonized, which was put on by prolific promoters Loud & Contact, for several reasons. Firstly, a few of the artists—Zip, Margaret Dygas, Soul Capsule—would be making their only Barcelona appearance at the party. Also, the venue was cinematic, located within an outdoor hillside park. And lastly, I was interested to see if the label's less-is-more promotion strategy would work in such a competitive market.
I arrived at Poble Espanyol at around 6 PM, when Soul Capsule were playing. The picnic area fell into an open-plan ditch which held the stage, and towards the back of the space there was a busy, tree-lined walkway that lead to bars, seating and food stalls. Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior weaved an intricate and groovy set that gradually picked up the pace. Next, the baton was handed to Margaret Dygas, who immediately shifted through the gears. Each new track was met with fresh whoops and cheers from the crowd, and the likes of DJ Qu & David S' "Nite Ride" and Sonate's "Living On A Star" went down particularly well.
Dygas left the stage to the uplifting feel of The Songstress's "See Line Woman," handing over to Zip. He took to the decks wearing his classic cheeky grin, while those in the front few rows showed their appreciation for what had been and their excitement for what was to come. After a brief warm-up period, Zip dug deep into his record bag and started playing some rough, metallic tech house. His sets usually offer some nod to UK garage and classic deep house, and he didn't disappoint, rolling out favourites like Gemini's "Where Do I Go" to rapturous applause.
Get Perlonized showed that Perlon is still as relevant today as it was in the '90s. For those that write it off as just another party playing boring minimal music, I'd suggest they go to one of the showcases and see how they feel afterwards. I never expect too much and always come away with plenty of nice memories and lots of tracks I wouldn't mind knowing the name of.